Showing articles from the year 2012
Clear filterAFC Wimbledon have revealed plans to make Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium the club’s new home. It is more than 20 years since professional first-team football was last played in the Borough of Merton. Wimbledon FC left to ground share with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in 1991.
Peterborough United mascot Peter Burrow is all ears when it comes to safe standing and he’s released a nice silent movie which encapsulates some of the key arguments for safe standing. Check it out, share with your mates, and don’t forget to sign the FSF’s Safe Standing Petition if you haven’t already done so.
“I honestly can’t remember when I made the decision to walk to all 92 league clubs but I maintain I was sober at the time,” says Scott Mclachlan. “Well, probably.” The 44-year-old Pompey fan has committed to the remarkable feat of walking from club-to-club in one, very long, eight month trek raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK, which is also the Football League’s charity of choice for the 2012/13 season. Scott’s Walkthe92 project begins in August and he’s set himself the target of raising £92,000. Being maths whizzes at the Football Supporters’ Federation, we’ve worked out that’s an eminently achievable £1,000 per club – and he’s calling on supporters from across the UK to support him via donations, accommodation, and public awareness.
Sign the FSF’s petition: www.fsf.org.uk/safestanding Peterborough United chief executive Bob Symns has given his backing to the Football Supporters’ Federation’s (FSF) Safe Standing Campaign. Symns even offered to use the club’s London Road ground to trial safe standing areas if Parliament and the football authorities would aut
Earlier this week FSF chair Malcolm Clarke joined Duncan Drasdo of Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) in a meeting with officials from Liverpool City Council regarding away ticket allocations. The council’s licensing committee has the power to drastically reduce the number of tickets available to travelling supporters at Anfield and Goodison Park.
The first Fans’ Weekend was held on 7th-8th July, jointly organised by the Football Supporters’ Federation and Supporters Direct. Around 250 fans came together for the organisations’ AGMs and workshops on the big issues of the day – financial fair play, anti-racism, supporter liaison officers and so on. The FSF Writers Awards and SD Shield and SD Cup also took place.
Official proof that stewards are harder than players this week. Last weekend Newcastle United faced Fenerbahce (in Austria, naturally) with one steward coming a cropper thanks to a brutal assault by Toon full-back Davide Santon. If Santon had done that to another player, he’d still be rolling around now, but our man in the high-viz jacket is up faster than you can say “compensation claim”.
Only yesterday Mr Justice Eady passed judgement on matchday policing costs around Elland Road and today the Football Supporters’ Federation has some Leeds United-related news too, in the form of a policing and stewarding survey. The survey was carried out in conjunction with FSF affiliate Leeds United Supporters’ Trust (LUST) and completed by almost 1000 fans.
It’s now 10 years since the Football Supporters’ Association and the National Federation of Football Supporters’ Clubs merged to form the Football Supporters’ Federation. In that time the FSF has helped thousands of fans, grown to more than 200,000 individual and affiliate members, and had some pretty big successes…
Across to South America for the latest And Finally… and Brazil’s second tier where Guarani defender Rodrigo Arroz pulled a stunning 50 yard half volley out of the bag. Just a shame it was in the wrong goal really. To be fair he wasn’t exactly helped by his own keeper who was miles out of the box for no good reason and, to add insult to injury, Arroz’s mistake gifted rivals Goias a 2-1 win.
After grilling the media and Rupert Murdoch in recent months the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee this week turned its attention to football governance with leaders from the FA, Football League, and supporters’ organisations in attendance.
Football supporters from across the continent unanimously adopted a resolution calling for FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s immediate resignation at last weekend’s European Football Fans’ Congress. The demand followed the latest revelations in the bribery scandal around FIFA honorary president João Havelange, detailed in documents produced by the Swiss Supreme Court and published by FIFA.
Forget the Euros, forget Olympic football, heck, you can even forget the U19 Euros being played in Estonia (if you hadn’t already). The big action is in Siberia with the big Russian league kick-off as Yenisey-STM of Krasnoyarsk take on FC Shinnik Yaroslavl. The teams line up for the national anthem before a Frank Spencer-esque What Happens Next? moment.
Football supporters from 32 European countries will come together this weekend in Istanbul (Friday 13th-Sunday 15th July) for the fifth European Football Fans’ Congress. Supporters from Turkish giants such as Fenerbahce (ÜNIFEB), Galatasaray, and Besiktas have joined forces with Football Supporters Europe (FSE) to help organise the annual event.
The FSF’s Football Writers Awards 2012 took place at Covent Garden’s Grand Connaught Rooms on Saturday evening (7th July). 200 fans were in attendance to see awards handed out across seven different categories recognising the best in amateur and professional writing.
The FSF was saddened to hear that vice-president Mark Agate passed away, aged 69, in Pembury Hospital on Saturday evening following a short illness. Mark was a huge Gillingham FC fan and had followed the club home and away for more than 60 years. Read on for funeral details. Mark worked as national administrator in the FSF’s early years and, before that, was the national secretary of the former National Federation of Football Supporters’ Clubs. He was still an active attendee and contributor to the FSF’s Southern Division. Mark was also involved in various supporters’ organisations at club level including Gills Supporters Club FC, GFC Blues Supporters Association, and most recently Gillingham Independent Supporters’ Club. Gillingham FC posted its own tribute online too. FSF chair Malcolm Clarke, said: “Mark’s passing has been a great shock to his friends and colleagues in the FSF. Our condolences go to Mark’s wife Margaret and his family.” FSF president Monica Hartland, said: “His almost overwhelming enthusiasm, allied to a determination to do anything that would improve the lot of football supporters, were the very antithesis of the all too prevalent indifference found among many people. Tenacity, endeavour, persistence and a cheerful social awareness – Mark will be sorely missed.” Mark Agate RIP.
Carlos Cuellar’s days at Aston Villa are over after the Spanish defender signed for Sunderland earlier this week and, while the Villa Park faithful might remember him fondly, we’re not quite so sure the groundsman will.
Derby County manager Nigel Clough has backed the possible introduction of safe standing areas at Pride Park after the Rams received a visit from the Safe Standing Roadshow (see left) earlier this year. The news gives yet another boost to the FSF’s Safe Standing campaign following both Aston Villa and the Scottish Premier League’s support for safe standing areas.“As a club that places great importance on customer care, we recognise that a not insignificant number of our fans prefer to watch football standing up, but we currently do not have the opportunity to satisfy this customer preference,” said Clough.
Good work across the pond by fans of Portland Timbers who unveiled a huuuugggeee banner before their side’s game against Seattle Sounders earlier this week. The ‘tifo’ pays tribute to former Timbers legend Clive Charles who passed away in 2003. Impressive stuff, although it still has some way to go to beat this absolute monster by Penarol fans in Uruguay.
